Golf practice device and game

ABSTRACT

A golf practice and game apparatus having at one end of an enclosure a vertical movable screen with a hole therein as a target, and a tee at the other end of the enclosure. The target is movable to several predetermined heights above the playing floor and at each position the height subtends an angle at the tee having a predetermined relation to the loft angle of the face of the particular golf club being used for that position. Electrical switches and cams are provided at the tee place for actuating a motor and moving the target to a given height for a particular golf club used, and also return troughs are provided for the golf balls which identify those that pass through a central portion of the hole, as compared to the side portions thereof.

United States Patent Mason et al. 1 Aug. 29, 1972 [54) GOLF PRACTICEDEVICE AND GAME 2,458,105 1/1949 Sell ..273/ 181 A {72] Inventors: JamesN. Mason, Waquoit; Charm C David Eton boh f Prunary Examiner-George J.M8110 Ma 0 Attorney-Kenway, Jenney & l-lildreth. Townsend M.

Gunn and John A. Lahive, Jr. [73) Assignee: Sports t Services, In,

Winchester, Mass. 57 ABSTRACT [22] Filed: 1 1971 A golf practice andgame apparatus having at one end (21] AppL 5 72 of an enclosure avertical movable screen with a hole therein as a target, and a tee atthe other end of the enclosure. The target is movable to severalpredeter- [52] us. 121. .....273l176 FA, 273/185 R, 2 7 3 [118812 1mined heights above the playing and at each [511 1111. c1. A63!) 67/02A63b 69/36 :33 Pig f $3 a p mm m anon o c o e a [58] Held 0| Search..273/176, 18] 182, 184, 185 of the particular golf club being used format position 56 Rd Cited Electrical switches and cams are provided atthe tee 1 m place for actuating a motor and moving the target to a MDSTATES PATENTS given height for a particular golf club used, and also1012 s20 12/1911 Cory 273/176 F i flf, for the 1,043,308 11/1912 Everson..273/l82 A m g'jf, the Si: S fis r 0 1,785,150 12/1930 Soubier et al...273/ 176 F 2,374,906 5/1945 Watson ..273/ 182 A 14 Claims, 10 Drawingfigures PATENTEDwszs m2 SHEEI 1 0F 5 FIG.2

as aa 52 FIG. 3

FIG. 4

INVENTORS JAMES N. MASON CHARLOTTE c DAVIDSON BY Kean-" T I- I W7 M m-rdATTORNEYS PATENTEflwc 29 I972 SHEET 2 (IF 5 INVENTORS PA'TENTEmuszs m2SHEET Q [If 5 9 IRON H 8 F fll iq L g E 4 LBQ'L.

FLOOR LINE MOTOR POWER SUPPLY lNVENTORS FIG. 9

JAMES N. MASON CHARLOTTE C. DAVIDSON GOLF PRACTICE DEVICE AND GAMEBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Many golf practice games or target setupshave been made in the past, which provide various ways for measuring thetrajectory of the ball, or the speed plus the trajectory, and which havevisual means of some kind or another to give an indication of thedirection in which the ball is travelling, or the speed and trajectoryafter being struck by a golf club. In the usual device, the target whenstruck actuates a switch mechanism which in turn activates some kind ofread-out mechanism at the tee place, so that the golfer can see justwhere his ball would have landed with respect to the green had he beenactually on a golf course. The actuation is generally done either byhaving the ball penetrate the target and strike the switch means; or byhaving the target itself move backward by the impact of the ball, thebackward motion actuating a read-out device.

However, none of the prior art devices provides an apparatus in whichthe target of the apparatus can be preset so that if the golfer is usinga given golf club (such as a number 6 iron) at the tee, then the targetposition is at such height with respect to the playing floor or the baseof the machine that, if the stroke has been made correctly, the ballwill pass through or strike the target at the central portion thereof.The dimensions of the apparatus are designed so that even at maximumball speeds the player may watch the flight of the ball without liftinghis head prior to the moment of making contact between the club and theball. The horizontal limits of the target aperture are such that a ballpassing through would have lateral accuracy required to land on averagewidth greens.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is the purpose of thisinvention to provide a golf practice apparatus in which a movable screenis provided with a target area, and the height of the target is settableso that if a ball is hit by a given club correctly the ball will strikethe target.

Another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of theabove kind, in which the target area on the screen may be adjusted toseveral predetermined heights, these heights corresponding to thetrajectory of a ball for each of several different golf clubs.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of theabove types in which simple means are used to enable the golfer todetermine what part of the target has been struck.

A further object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of theabove kind, in which the height of the target on the screen is in apredetermined relationship to the trajectory of a ball struck by a givenclub, the height of the target subtending a predetermined angle at thetee approximately equal to the theoretical trajectory angle for a golfball struck by the golf club provided the club has been used correctlyto strike the ball.

A further object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of theabove kinds, in which a relatively simple means is used to determinewhether or not the golf club has been used correctly.

Another object of the invention is the provision of apparatus of theabove kinds, in which the operating mechanisms used to adjust the screenheight, and the visual read-out means, are both located at the tee sothat the golfer using the apparatus can readily control the height ofthe target.

Other objects and advantages will be in part obvious and in part pointedout hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations ofelements, features of construction, arrangements of parts, andmanipulation of the apparatus, all of which will be exemplified in thestructure hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application ofwhich will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of the various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is an illustration of the embodiment (with a portion thereofbroken away to show the interior at one end) illustrating the generalarrangement of the ap- P FIG. 2 is a view showing two of the devicesshown in FIG. I placed side by side in, for example, a room;

FIG. 3 is a view showing two of the FIG. 1 devices erected with theirrear ends abutting;

FIG. 4 is a view of a portion of the screen of the FIG. 1 apparatus(enlarged as compared with the FIG. 1 drawing) given to show certaindetails thereof;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the FIG. I embodiment with a sideenclosure thereof removed in order to show details of construction ofthe apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a portion of the FIG. 1 embodiment, taken inthe direction of sight line 6-6 on FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of a control panel to be used with theapparatus controlling the target position thereof;

FIG. 8 is a view of the control panel of the FIG. 7 unit, given toillustrate a possible arrangement of control switches thereon;

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of an electrical circuit forcontrolling the apparatus of this invention; and

FIG. 10 is an illustration showing schematically the several positionsof the target of this invention, and illustrating in chart form thetrajectories of a ball stroked correctly by golf clubs as they relate tothe target positions.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views of the drawing, and the dimensions of certain of the partsas shown in the drawing may have been modified and/or exaggerated forthe purpose of clarity of illustration.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a general view of an embodimentof the invention, a part thereof being broken away in order to showcertain arrangements inside. The device has an enclosure indicatedgenerally by numeral 2, which may be made, for example, of canvass or asheet plastic film material. Preferably it is opaque for the privacy ofthe player. Enclosure consists of side panels 4 and 6, top panel 8, andsuitable supports to maintain the enclosure erect as shown. Part of thesupport for the enclosure is provided at the rear by the framework 10 ofconventional construction, as shown. Guy wires support the upper edgesof the structure and may be tied by the use of turnbuckles 12 tosuitable eye rings in the floor of the room in which the enclosure iserected. If desired, instead of using the guy wire-turnbuckle-floorarrangement, the guy wires may be supported by suitable drop wires fromthe ceiling of the room. Regardless of which support means is used, theenclosure should be arranged generally as shown. It is approximately 12feet wide and 60 to 70 feet long. The rear end is approximately 36 feethigh, and the front end is approximately 12 feet high.

Before getting into details of the construction of other features of theinvention, reference is directed to FIG. 2, which illustrates a featureof utility of the particular apparatus. There is shown two of theenclosures 2 placed side by side, each being so arranged with sidecovers 4 and 6 on each side so that the individual golfer has privacy inpracticing. FIG. 3 shows two of the enclosures placed with their rearends together and in line, one enclosure being enclosure 2 and the otherbeing enclosure 14. in FIG. 3 each enclosure is the same, but the endframework 10 is common to both.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and for further details, at the rear end of theenclosure on framework is mounted a movable screen 18, which, as will bedescribed below, can be moved upwardly and downwardly to position atarget area at a plurality of predetermined positions. The screen iswrapped around a pair of rollers 22 and 24, the top roller being drivenby a shaft around one end of which is wrapped a cable 26, the end of thecable being attached to a counterweight 28 which is enclosed in a hollowtube 30.

The bottom roller 24 is driven by a motor 32, which is under the controlof a suitable electric circuit. When the roller 24 is rotated to releasethe screen therefrom, the weight 28 will turn the upper roller 22 towrap up screen thereon so that the screen will remain taut.Contrarywise, when the roller 24 is energized to move the screendownward, then the weight 28 will rise while maintaining the tension onthe screen. Rollers 22 and 24 are about 30 feet apart.

Of course, other suitable means for moving the screen up and down can beprovided if desired, and will not be detailed here.

As has been indicated above, the framework 10 is of generalconstruction, and is made of structural iron using typical lattice work.The interior of the framework is open, and suspended therein by suitablemeans is a ball catching apparatus generally indicated by numeral 36.Preferably the catcher is made of netting having a mesh small enough tostop a golf ball. The netting enclosure is divided into three verticalchutes: a central chute 38 and two side chutes 40 and 42. (See FIG. 6.)The chutes can be closed at the top, and at the bottom the open ends ofthe chutes lie above golf-ball receiving trays 44 and 46. Tray 44underlies the open end of the central chute 38. Tray 46 is large enoughto underlie the open ends of both the side chutes 40 and 42. Thus, agolf ball which is received in chute 38 would fall into tray 44, andgolf balls which are received by either chute 40 or 42 will fall intotray 46.

Each of the trays has a bottom which slopes toward an exit so that ballswhich fall into the trays will move toward the exit of the respectivetray by the force of gravity. From the exit of tray 44, there leads ahose or pipe 48 sufficiently large in diameter so that a ball will rollfreely therein. Tube 48 slants downwardly, turns,

and then runs parallel to the enclosure, as shown in FIG. 6. The otherend of tube 48 empties onto a V- shaped collector trough 50, the otherend of which terminates adjacent the tee. In similar fashion, a tube 54leads from the exit of tray 46 and debouches into a trough 56 whoseother end 58 ends adjacent the tee.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, it will be noted that in front of the screen18, there is a third collector tray 60 having an exit from which leads atube 62 which debouches onto a trough 64, whose end 66 is adjacent thetee. The function of tray 60 is to collect balls which strike the screenand do not pass through the target thereof.

With the above construction, it will be seen that by looking at theballs which eventually roll down the trough from the respective traysand counting them, the golfer can determine instantly those balls 68which have passed through the central portion of the target, those balls70 which have passed through the outer portions of the target, and thoseballs 72 which have struck the front of the screen and not the target.

An inclined ramp 74 leads from the ground floor up to the edge of tray60 so that if the golfer tops the ball so that it fails to rise in itsusual trajectory, it will roll up the ramp 74 and fall into tray 60 foreventual return to end 66.

Of course, the troughs 50, 56 and 64 are suitably supported such as byposts 76 so that at the trough ends, they will be at a convenient heightfor seeing and for removal therefrom.

As has been indicated above, the screen has a target 20, which comprisesan oval area (the outline being indicated in dotted lines) in which thescreen is slit as shown. The slits are approximately three-fourthsinches apart to form ribbons about three-fourths inches wide. Byslitting the screen 18 in the aforesaid manner, it will be found thatthe balls which strike the target pass readily therethrough. The majoraxis of the oval forming the target is approximately 7 feet, and theminor axis is approximately 3 feet. On this target, the net chute 44 hasits open forward face covering approximately one-third of the width, atthe center of the target. That is, the target itself is divided intothree approximately equal areas, balls through the central area 82defined by the chute 44 will fall into that chute, and the balls throughthe outer areas 84 will fall into the chutes 40 and 42 covering thoseareas.

it will be noted that a golfer standing at a tee will, in general, seethe green in perspective as somewhat elliptical, and this is the reasonfor a generally elliptical shape of the target 20. Of course, it can beonly a sim ulation of what the green will look like because theelevation of the green with respect to the golfer or vice versa willchange the apparent shape of the green, depending on the perspective,and also the actual shapes of the greens.

It has been found that a convenient material for the screen is apolyvinyl chloride sheet material on a nylon scrim support,approximately 0.025 to 0.050 inches thick. Of course, other durable,flexible materials can be used, provided that when slit, the balls canpass through it. The screen is 9 feet wide.

At the front end of the apparatus, a portion of the curtain material iscut away to expose an opening 86 in which may be positioned a controlconsole 88. The

console is located close to a tee 90, which is 50 feet from screen 18.Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the console comprises an upright end portionor stand 92 having a sloping panel 94 at a convenient height for thegolfer. Extending from the end portion 92 are sides and partitions whichform compartments 96 in which golfers can place their golf bags.

The control panel 94 has mounted thereon a plurality of switchpush-buttons 98 numbered from No. 1 through No. inclusive, and it willbe noted that as an example of the further identification of theseswitches, push button No. 1 has the legend No. 5 iron adjacent thereto,No. 2 push-button has the legend No. 3 wood, No. 3 push-button has thelegend No. 8 iron, and so forth. The numbers of the push-buttonscorrespond to the numbers of the particular holes being played. As willbe explained below, the predetermined positions of the target are suchthat on hole No. l a No. 5 iron should be used at the tee in order forthe ball to achieve the proper elevation to penetrate the target area.On

hole No. 2 a three wood will be required to achieve the elevationdetermined by the No. 2 position of the target area. For the No. 3 hole,a No. 8 iron would be required, and so forth through and for any givensequence of target positions.

On the panel there are provided indicator lights 100 and 102 forindicating that the circuitry is on or off, in conventional manner.

Referring now to FlG. 9, there is shown a functional wiring diagram foroperation of the device, the diagram also including certain heights ofthe target corresponding to the golf club iron or driver that is beingused. A power input 104 is shown which is of a suitable voltage for theswitches, motor, and relays used to operate the device. (Since thesevarious elements are conventional in nature, an exact detaileddescription is not given here.) The power supply divides into the line106 and the line 108. Line 106 is serially connected to switches 110,112, 114, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 126 and 128, which are actuated bypush-button switches at holes 1 through l0 respectively on the panel 94.Such switches are the Type 53-PB8-T2 push-button switches manufacturedby Micro Switch Division of Honeywell lnc., Freeport, Ill. The switchesin turn are individually connected to one side of each of tenmotor-driven cam switches 130 through 148. For example, the motor drivencam switch Type No. 803A l 0 manufactured by Allen-Bradley Company,Milwaukee. For example, switch 110 is connected to one side of the camswitch 130, switch 1 12 is connected to one side of cam switch 132, andso forth, up to the point that switch 128 is connected to cam switch148. The other side of the cam switches are all connected in parallel tothe power line 150, which connects through a low-limit switch 152 and bylead 156 to the screen drive motor 158. For example, a Boston GearReducing Reversible Threephase Motor, Type No. FWA-32lA-l50-EUB made byBoston Gear Division of North American Rockwell Corp, Quincy, Mass.,controlled by a Reversing Motor Starter, Type Ali-705 AOD, Style RTl,made by Allen Bradley Company, Milwaukee. The other side of the targetdrive motor is connected to line 108 through the switch 160. It will benoted that the cam switches 130-148 inclusive are driven by a rotor 162which is turned, by suitable linkage such as a sprocket wheel and chaindrive, by the screen drive motor 158.

If desired, a high-position limit device 164 may be used to stop thecurrent in the event that the cam switch 148 fails. (The high-limitdevice 164 is shown wired functionally, since its application and wiringinto the circuit are conventional.)

Shown in squares with ovals therein, in some cases with dotted lines andtwo cases with full lines, are schematic illustrations of targets of thescreen 18 in the various specified predetermined positions into whichthe targets move, and which are correlated with the trajectory of theparticular club selected at a distance of 50 feet from the screen, astaught above. The first position represented by number 166 correspondsto the trajectory of the ball when a correctly used driver is used atthe aforesaid 50 feet, and therefore is the position to which the targetmoves when switch is activated for hole No. 5. Position 168 correspondsto switch 112, that is to hole No. 2 for the No. 3 wood. Position 170corresponds to hole No. 7 for the No. 4 wood, and switch 114. Position172 corresponds to switch 116, that is, hole No. 10 and No. 3 iron.Position 174 corresponds to switch 118 and hole No. 4 and No. 4 iron.Position 176 corresponds to switch 120, hole No. l and No. 5 iron.Position 178 corresponds to switch 122, and hole No. 9, and No. 6 iron.Position 180 corresponds to switch 124, hole No. 6 and No. 7 iron.Position 182 corresponds to switch 126, hole No. 3 and No. 8 iron.Position 184 corresponds to switch 128, hole No. 8 and No. 9 iron.

Assuming that the target has been located at position 176, then becauseof the cam rotation previously performed, carn switch 140 is open. (Allother cam switches are closed.) The opening of cam switch 140 hasstopped the flow of current through the target drive motor and thus thecam rotor 162 itself, because all of switches in the series 110-128inclusive are open, swjtchllfl having also been opened when cam switch140 opened previously. Supposing now that one wishes to move the screenand thus the target down to the hole No. 10, that is, by activatingpush-button No. 10 (switch 116). When this switch is actuated by itspushbutton, it automatically locks in due to the hold-in circuitestablished through the closed cam switch 136 so that switch 116 willstay locked in until the cam switch 136 opens later. As a result ofpower being connected through leads 106, switch 116, cam switch 136,lead 150, low limit control 152, lead 156., the target motor 158, andlead 108 to the power supply, the target motor now rotates in suchdirection as to move the screen downwardly until the target which waslocated at position 176, moves down to position 172. While the targetdrive motor is tugging the screen down, it also rotates the cam rotor162, so that when the target reaches position 172, cam switch 136 opens,and the target drive motor and the cam rotor stop. At the same time,switch 1 16 opens. The target then remains at position 172.

When the cam rotor 162 rotated, it also closed the previously open camswitch 140, but as pointed out above, the opening of a cam switch opensits respective push-button switch. Thus closing of cam switch 140 doesnot connect power to the motor 158.

In similar manner, if at any other of the indicated positions (or holes)the switch corresponding to a particular hole is actuated, the motor 158moves the screen until the target is correctly positioned, and then. theswitch opens.

In FIG. 9, the height of the lowest position (hole and the distancesseparating the positions is also given. For a distance of 50 feet fromthe tee, and for the loft angles of average clubs, the first height is10 feet and the positions are 2 feet apart.

In regard to the height of the respective target positions above thefloor line, the following explanation will be of assistance. Referringto FIG. 10, there is shown an average set of clubs, the approximatetrajectory angle for each club which results when the golf ball is hitproperly. For example, the very bottom club set forth in the chartlegend, (that is, a driver) will produce a trajectory of close to 11,all angles being measured with reference to the floor. Another example,is the No. 5 iron, which typically will produce a trajectory angle ofclose to 23. The trajectory angle is theoretically less than the actualloft angle of the club face because of the frictional downward forceapplied when striking the ball to create a desired backspin. Thetrajectory angle is a resultant of the two forces affecting the ball atimpact. (For a full explanation of this, reference is made to the bookentitled The Search for the Perfect Swing" by Alastair Cochran and JohnStobbs, published by .I. B. Lippencott Company, Philadelphia, Penn., theinformation (already public) being incorporated herein by reference.)

Assuming a tee distance of 50 feet from the screen 18, if one computesthe height of the target positions above floor level using thetrajectory angles indicated on FIG. 10, one arrives at the followingtable:

The fourth column of the table indicates the distance which shouldtheoretically separate one target position from another, and the thirdcolumn indicates that at a trajectory angle of 11, the first distancefrom floor to center of the target will be approximately 9,72 feet. Theseparation of the next target position from this first position is 1.83feet, and so forth. It will be observed that as one gets higher andhigher, the separation decreases somewhat. However, for the convenienceof setting the cams 130-148, and in view of the fact that the trajectoryangles are not always exactly the same, due to variations in the loftangles of the clubs made by the several manufacturers, the distance ofthe first target position (ie., the bottom one for the driver) has beenset at 10 feet from the floor level, and then the remaining distancesare set so that there is a two foot separation of the target centers asone progresses upwardly. It ought to be noted, that in view of the factthat the minor axis of the target ellipse is 3 feet, and the separationof the target centers is only two feet, a target in one position willoverlap to some extent its previous position.

Of course, if desired, the cams -148 could be set so that the targetintervals would be exactly as shown in thsimlhcolumnilablel; atti's waislin above, however, it is felt that in actual practice of the invention,it is better to separate the targets uniformly.

Therefore, if one is going to play the game as set up on the consoleface shown in H6. 8, and has arrived at the tee for hole 5, thepush-button indicating hole 5 is pushed and this moves the target downto occupy the lowest position shown on FIG. 10. If, then, the driver isused correctly, the trajectory of the ball leaving the driver's facewill be such as to penetrate the target and be collected in one of thethree chutes. If there has been no hook or slice, then the centerportion of the target will have been hit, the ball will be collected bythe center chute 44, and will exit into trough 50. If either of the sidesections of the target are hit, (due to a hook or slice), then eitherchute 40 or chute 42 will collect the ball, with the ball emerging intothe trough 56. Of course, if the target is missed completely and strikethe screen, then the tray 60 will collect the ball and the ball willemerge in trough 64.

Of course, as is apparent from the face of the console 88, theparticular fictional game set up starts with hole 1 and fictiti s ylh hle isdcsimstfor a 5 i on- Accordingly, the button indicated for hole 1is pushed, and the target will be pulled upwardly and stopped at theposition indicated by numeral 176 on FIG. 10. When the target has movedupwardly to this position, then as explained above cam opens and thetarget stops in this position. The golfer then makes his stroke, and ifdone expertly, the ball will traverse the center section of the targetand be collected by the chute 44. It then rolls back to the tee intrough 50. Of course, because of the distance of 50 feet, the golfer canclearly follow the flight of the ball and thus will have an initialvisual impression or knowledge of whether the ball traverses the centerof the target area or either of the two side sections, and later thiswill be confirmed by the position of the ball in one of the threetroughs 50, S6 and 64. These troughs provide the means of scoring in thegame. Balls which return in trough 50 count 10 points each. Balls whichreturn in trough 56 count 5 points each. Balls which return in trough 64count zero. Each player records his score on each hole and totals hispoints for the ten holes which comprise one game. The player with themost points wins.

After playing hole 1, the golfer then pushes the button for hole 2 andthe curtain moves down to position 168, where it stops. The golfer usesNo. 3 wood and again drives a golf ball towards the target. ll be issuccessful, the ball will pass through the center section of the targetas above.

in this manner, the remaining holes of the particular game set up on theconsole 88am played through, with the target being moved to the positionfor each hole for that particular game.

Of course, if one wishes to change the game from that shown on FIG. 8,one can select another sequence in which hole No. 1 would require, forexample, a No. 3 wood, hole No. 2 might require a driver, and so forth.In other words, with this particular invention, any number of games canbe arranged using the console of FIG. 8, but by numbering thepush-buttons differently.

in such a new game, the numbers of the push-buttons 98 on console 94would no longer correspond to the actual holes. Instead the numberedpush-buttons would correspond to holes and clubs as follows:

If desired, a template could be made which would fit over the actualpush-buttons on console 94 and which would contain the above informationfor the new game.

From a teaching point of view, the device makes it very easy for theteachers to determine which of the clubs are most troublesome and theplayer and the target area can be located specifically for teaching andpractice as to the clubs requiring the most attention. For example, ifthe player has trouble with his No. 9 Iron the target area can beelevated to the hole requiring the No. 9 iron and the teacher caninstruct the player on the use of the No. 9 Iron and the player willhave a means of gauging his improvement.

Also, it is to be realized that with the particular game or invention, aperson can maintain a given target at any one position and practice withonly that particular golf club and target position until he is satisfiedwith the stroke and the trajectory he gets. Also, if one wishes topractice by using the clubs successively, as is quite often done, thegolfer can push button No. 8 first and use No. 9 iron, then button No. 3and use No. 8 iron, button No. 6 and No. 7 iron, and so forth.

Furthermore, while the apparatus has been described as being adapted forthe golf clubs named above, it can be readily adapted for other clubs(having other face loft angles) by the simple expedient of shifting thecams on the cam rotor 162 to stop the target at the proper heights tointercept the balls when struck properly by the chosen golf clubs.

in view of the above description, it will be apparent that while inother devices the emphasis is on distance, velocity and spin, all ofwhich are computed in one way or another and converted electronicallyfor a read-out, this invention is concerned with the proper angle offlight for each individual club according to the manufacturer's loftangle which is built into it. This places the emphasis on accuracy andthe location of the target in respect to the USGA requirements and thevarious manufacturers data on club design. it also emphasizes thedesirable flight of the ball. The altitude of the ball after 50 feet oftrue flight gives a reliable indication of the correct use of the club.

it is also to be realized, that instead of having a single trough returnthe ball from both of the two side chutes of the target, that is,sections 84, a separate tray can be used for each of these two sidesections with each tray in turn returning the balls to the tee by aseparate trough. One could also have two additional trays for high andlow these to discharge into trough No. 56.

That is, if this were to be done, one would have a center chute 44 whichwould lead to trough 50 as shown above, the forward tray would lead totrough 64 as given above, one side section (for example, the top one asviewed in FIG. 6) could correspond to the upper chute in the drawing ofFIG. 6, which would lead to a third trough, and the bottom chute (asviewed in FIG. 6) could pick up balls in the other edge section orportion of the target and return its balls to a fourth trough.

in view of the above it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and arrangements of partsillustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in variousways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or tenninologyemployed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

As many changes could be made in the above con= structions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings, shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense, and it is also intended that the appended claims shall cover allsuch equivalent variations as come within the true spirit and scope ofthe invention.

Having described the invention, what is claimed is:

l. A golf practice and game apparatus comprising:

a base,

a tee;

a vertically movable screen mounted on the base at a fixed distance fromthe tee;

a target area on the screen and movable vertically thereby, the targetarea being penetrable by a golf ball striking thereon;

collecting means mounted behind the target area for receiving ballspassing through the latter;

delivery means for receiving balls from the collecting means and movingthem to a position adjacent the tee; and

control means for moving the screen upwardly and downwardly, and thusthe target area, to a plurality of predetermined positions above thebase level, the height of each of said positions corresponding to theheight a golf ball would reach when struck by a particular golf club atthe tee.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the vertical distance of each ofsaid target positions above the base level is such as to subtend at thetee an angle approximately equal to the trajectory angle of a golf ballstruck by a given golf club.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said target area is an opening andis provided with a plurality of flat strips of flexible materialextending across the opening, the edges of the strips being free therebyto provide slits through which balls can pass through the opening.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said opening is generallyelliptical in shape with the long axis thereof being horizontal.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the collecting means are aplurality of adjacent chutes mounted behind the target area, the chutesdividing the area into a plurality of smaller areas, and each chutereceiving balls passing through only one of the smaller areas.

6. The apparatus of claim in which said delivery means includes aplurality of trays beneath said chutes into which balls collected by thechutes fall.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which there are at least three adjacentchutes one of said trays underlies the chute which is positioned tocollect balls passing solely through a central area of the target area,and another tray underlies the other two chutes.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 in which the delivery means includes aplurality of tubes each being connected to the trays by one end, atrough connected to the other end of each tube, said troughs leadingfrom approximately the screen to the tee with the balls in said troughsbeing visible to the player at the tee.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said chutes are mats extendingvertically behind the curtain for a distance at least equal to the totaldistance occupied by the target area from its lowest position to itshighest position.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 in which the chutes are three in number,the open side of the middle chute covering approximately one-third ofthe target area at the central portion thereof and each of the sidechutes covering a third of the target area at the side portions thereof.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which the central chute isapproximately square in cross-section, and the 5 jacent the bottom ofthe apparatus and the other roller being positioned at the top of theapparatus, the screen being adapted to be rolled up on said rollers,rotation of the rollers shifting the position of said targetarea withrespect to said base.

13. The apparatus of claim I in which said control means includesmounting means stationed adjacent the tee and a plurality of electricalswitches mounted on the mounting means, each switch being marked with anindicium indicating a golf club, and each switch being adapted whenactuated to move the screen and thus the target area to bring the latterto the predetermined positions for the golf club indicated by theindicium at said switch.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 including a motor and a rotary cam switchdevice having a plurality of switches operated by cams, the switchescorresponding in number to the positions of the screen, the motor beingadapted to raise and lower the screen and simultaneously rotating thecam switch, and said cams being adjustable to change the predeterminedpositions of the screen.

1. A golf practice and game apparatus comprising: a base; a tee; avertically movable screen mounted on the base at a fixed distance fromthe tee; a target area on the screen and movable vertically thereby, thetarget area being penetrable by a golf ball striking thereon; collectingmeans mounted behind the target area for receiving balls passing throughthe latter; delivery means for receiving balls from the collecting meansand moving them to a position adjacent the tee; and control means formoving the screen upwardly and downwardly, and thus the target area, toa plurality of predetermined positions above the base level, the heightof each of said positions corresponding to the height a golf ball wouldreach when struck by a particular golf club at the tee.
 2. The apparatusof claim 1 in which the vertical distance of each of said targetpositions above the base level is such as to subtend at the tee an angleapproximately equal to the trajectory angle of a golf ball struck by agiven golf club.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said target areais an opening and is provided with a plurality of flat strips offlexible material extending across the opening, the edges of the stripsbeing free thereby to provide slits through which balls can pass throughthe opening.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 in which said opening isgenerally elliptical in shape with the long axis thereof beinghorizontal.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the collecting meansare a plurality of adjacent chutes mounTed behind the target area, thechutes dividing the area into a plurality of smaller areas, and eachchute receiving balls passing through only one of the smaller areas. 6.The apparatus of claim 5 in which said delivery means includes aplurality of trays beneath said chutes into which balls collected by thechutes fall.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 in which there are at leastthree adjacent chutes one of said trays underlies the chute which ispositioned to collect balls passing solely through a central area of thetarget area, and another tray underlies the other two chutes.
 8. Theapparatus of claim 6 in which the delivery means includes a plurality oftubes each being connected to the trays by one end, a trough connectedto the other end of each tube, said troughs leading from approximatelythe screen to the tee with the balls in said troughs being visible tothe player at the tee.
 9. The apparatus of claim 5 in which said chutesare mats extending vertically behind the curtain for a distance at leastequal to the total distance occupied by the target area from its lowestposition to its highest position.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 in whichthe chutes are three in number, the open side of the middle chutecovering approximately one-third of the target area at the centralportion thereof and each of the side chutes covering a third of thetarget area at the side portions thereof.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10in which the central chute is approximately square in cross-section, andthe side chutes are approximately triangular in cross-section.
 12. Theapparatus of claim 1 in which the screen is suspended on rollers, oneroller being positioned adjacent the bottom of the apparatus and theother roller being positioned at the top of the apparatus, the screenbeing adapted to be rolled up on said rollers, rotation of the rollersshifting the position of said target area with respect to said base. 13.The apparatus of claim 1 in which said control means includes mountingmeans stationed adjacent the tee and a plurality of electrical switchesmounted on the mounting means, each switch being marked with an indiciumindicating a golf club, and each switch being adapted when actuated tomove the screen and thus the target area to bring the latter to thepredetermined positions for the golf club indicated by the indicium atsaid switch.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13 including a motor and arotary cam switch device having a plurality of switches operated bycams, the switches corresponding in number to the positions of thescreen, the motor being adapted to raise and lower the screen andsimultaneously rotating the cam switch, and said cams being adjustableto change the predetermined positions of the screen.